Everyone likes chocolate. It is everyone’s best friend. But did you know, chocolate doesn’t only taste delicious but also functions as an amazing anti-ageing agent?
Antioxidants are essential components which guard cells and act as anti-ageing agents. These components are said to be highest in tea, but a study in Holland has found that dark chocolate has four times more antioxidants than tea. Antioxidants are really effective against ageing, and also help better the immune system, among other things.
The antioxidants found in chocolate, also called cocoa flavonoids provide significant protection from UV rays on of the sun, which can cause premature ageing. This is another reason why chocolate is a good anti-ageing agent for your skin.
But, this is the cocoa part of the chocolate, and hence, little portions of dark chocolate are advised for consumption keeping in mind the health benefits. Incorporating chocolate into your anti-ageing diet can also help lower the chances of strokes and fluctuations in blood pressure, and act as a natural antidepressant.
Wrinkles on your skin are caused by components known as free radicals. But these free radicals don’t stand a chance against the antioxidants in chocolate, and so chocolate also provides a wrinkle free skin. It also increases blood circulation, which also boosts anti-ageing.
Chocolate’s ability to act as an anti-ageing agent is enhanced by the fact that it is easily available in all forms, and is famously consumed by many.
And now, to increase the already many perks of eating chocolates, a new especially anti-ageing chocolate has been made by Cambridge University. Named ‘Esthechoc’, it claims to boost antioxidant levels and increase circulation to prevent lines, rejuvenate your skin and keep the skin young for long. Just a small 7.5g bar of anti-ageing chocolate contains the same amount of the antioxidant astaxanthin as a fillet of Alaskan salmon, and equal levels of free-radical fighting cocoa polyphenols as 100g of dark chocolate.
The chocolate is said to be able to change the underlying skin of someone in their 50-60s to their 20-30s. Tests showed that after four weeks of eating the anti-ageing chocolate every day, volunteers had less evidence of inflammation in their blood and increased blood supply to skin tissue.
This is not to say unlimited chocolate consumption is good. The other health impacts of chocolates, the sugars and the calories are to be taken into consideration as well.
But it is good news for all our chocoholics out there that their favourite chocolate can not only lighten their mood up but also, quite literally, their face up. The health benefits of chocolate are countless when consumed in limited and supervised amounts by a person.
In a similar context, we also listed out the benefits of Baking Soda. Read More